Georgia+Marie+McGill

On November 17, 1935, Georgia Marie McGill, 21-year-old daughter of oil company superintendent George McGill, died from an apparent criminal abortion in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

Marie's father identified Dr. W. R. Mitchell as the perpetrator. Mitchell was already a reputed abortionist, and police had already gotten many complaints about him prior to Marie's death. He was implicated in about half a dozen other abortion deaths, but I have been unable to get more details about those cases.

Mitchell was arrested and tried but the case ended with a hung jury. After the trial, Mitchell resumed his abortion business and was arrested again for his practice.

Marie's abortion was typical of illegal abortions in that it was performed by a physician.

Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see [|Abortion in the 1930s].

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see [|The Bad Old Days of Abortion]

Sources:
 * "Doctor Posts Bond in Death of Girl," //The Oklahoman//, 13 May, 1937
 * "Abortion Jurors' Verdict Sealed," //The Oklahoman//, Oct. 16, 1937
 * "Abortion is Charged to Shidler Doctor," //The Oklahoman//, Jan. 28, 1942
 * "New Abortion Death Charge Filed in State," //The Oklahoman//, 11 May, 1937
 * "Doctor, 65, Jailed on Abortion Charge," M//iami Daily News Record//, Jan. 29, 1942
 * Untitled clipping, //Denton (TX) Record Chronicle//, Oct. 15, 1937



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